Far-right podcast host Steve Bannon sounded the alarm on his War Room podcast Wednesday, warning of a “ticking time bomb” in the U.S. Senate that could thwart President-elect Donald Trump’s high-profile nominations. Bannon pointed to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as the primary obstacle to Trump’s picks, including former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (R-HI), former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Bannon claimed that McConnell had already derailed the nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for attorney general, setting a precedent for future opposition. “The Matt Gaetz situation is a ticking time bomb because they, under Mitch McConnell, understand he rolled us,” Bannon said. “You think that’s the last time that Mitch McConnell’s going through on this?”
Calling the Senate standoff a “war,” Bannon emphasized the stakes. “The most important thing blocking us, the only thing blocking us, the only thing we haven’t gotten a victory and a win in, is the United States Senate,” he declared.
Bannon argued that McConnell would particularly target Kennedy, citing the latter’s criticism of the biopharmaceutical industry. “The target is gonna be Kennedy because of the biopharmaceutical cut,” he predicted. “He’s relentless, and he will take them apart. And Mitch McConnell feeds at the trough of the biopharmaceutical industry.”
Reflecting on Gaetz’s failed nomination, Bannon suggested it was a sign of things to come. “We are setting ourselves up for a defeat and/or compromise,” he said, lamenting that Gaetz had promised to avoid targeting MSNBC or former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) as attorney general.
“Gaetz was gonna be a blowtorch in the DOJ,” Bannon said, contrasting him with his replacement, Pam Bondi, whom he described as “not a blowtorch,” Bannon concluded with a grim prediction. “That’s a massive win, and they’re gonna have the same thing on the biopharmaceutical side, mark my words.”
Bannon’s comments underline the growing tensions between Trump’s loyalists and establishment Republicans as the president-elect prepares to reshape his administration. With McConnell likely to remain a powerful player in the Senate, battles over key nominations could define Trump’s early presidency.